Tile

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a tile for installing on a base surface, the tile having a front, a back, and an edge, characterized in that at least one supplementary element ( 2 ) is disposed in the region of the back ( 11 ), the element being preferably configured as an elastically, or ductile deformable spacer element ( 3 ), having at least one laterally protruding spacer ( 6 ), and that preferably at least one adhesive element ( 4 ) is disposed in the region of a side of the spacer ( 3 ) facing away from the tile ( 1 ).

The invention concerns a tile for installation on a foundation, said tile having a front, a back, and an edge.

Tiles of this type have typically been fixed on a foundation intended for this purpose, for example, a wall or a floor, with the use of mortar or a special tile adhesive and then jointed. The jointing cannot be done until a sufficient amount of time has elapsed to allow the mortar or tile adhesive that was used to harden. Alignment of the tiles relative to one another can be accomplished manually after visual inspection or with the use of cross spacers, which are placed between the tiles. These prior-art sequences of operations make the laying of tiles labor-intensive and make it difficult to achieve optimal alignment of the tiles.

Therefore, the objective of the invention is to design a tile of the aforementioned type in such a way that the tile can be more easily installed.

In accordance with the invention, this objective is achieved by mounting at least one supplementary element on the back of the tile.

As will be further explained below, the supplementary element can be designed in a variety of ways to facilitate the operation of laying the tile. The supplementary element facilitates and accelerates the laying process and can contribute to a reduction of the work time that is required.

Fixing the tile in place with a small amount of labor is assisted if the supplementary element is designed as an adhesive element.

To allow stacking of the tiles before they are used, it is proposed that the surface of the adhesive element that faces away from the tile be covered with a protective foil.

In accordance with a variant embodiment, it is proposed that the adhesive element be designed as a two-sided adhesive tape.

To facilitate installation of the tiles on uneven foundations, it is proposed that the supplementary element be designed as an equalizing layer.

Predetermination of the spacing of several tiles relative to one another is assisted by designing the supplementary element as a spacer element with at least one laterally projecting spacer.

To produce an interconnected system, it is proposed that spacers of adjoining tiles be arranged with some displacement relative to each other.

It is also conducive to the production of an interconnected system of the installed tiles if at least one spacer element of a tile contacts an adjoining tile from behind.

Several advantages of the invention can be combined by mounting at least one adhesive element in the area of a side of the spacer element that faces away from the tile.

To equalize unevenness of the surface on which the tiles are to be installed, it has been found to be advantageous especially to form the spacer element from a deformable material.

It is also contemplated that the spacer element be made of an elastic material.

A typical application consists in use of the tile of the invention as wall tile.

Another area of application consists in use of the tile of the invention as floor tile.

Specific embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a rear view of a tile with spacer element and adhesive elements arranged on the back of the tile.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the tile shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section through installed tiles that have the design according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through the tile shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows a rear view of a tile with a different design of the spacer element and adhesive elements compared to FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of the tile shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section through the tile according to FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of the detail VIII in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows a cross section through installed tiles designed according to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 shows a rear view of a tile with a plurality of separate adhesive elements.

FIG. 11 shows a rear view of tiles with a frame-like spacer element.

FIG. 12 shows a cross section through installed tiles, in which an element used as a spacer simultaneously serves as an insulating element.

According to the embodiment in FIG. 1, a tile 1 is provided with a supplementary element 2, which consists of a spacer element 3 and one or more adhesive elements 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive element 4 consists of two adhesive strips. The spacer element 3 has spacers 6 that project laterally beyond the edge 5 of the tile 1. When a large number of tiles 1 is being laid side by side, the spacers 6 predetermine exact joint distances between the tiles 1.

The spacers 6 are designed in such a way that they border laterally on the supplementary element 2 of an adjoining tile and in this way predetermine the desired separation of the tiles. In particular, it is possible to predetermine the dimensioning of the spacer elements 3 and the spacers 6 in such a way that the spacers 6 of one tile 1 support an adjoining tile 1 from below and in this way produce an interconnected system.

In a top view of the front 7 of the tile 1, FIG. 2 shows the spacer 6 projecting beyond the edge 5. All of the tiles 1 used in an interconnected system can be designed identically to the embodiment in FIG. 2, so that the spacers 6 are located in the area of two sides. In this regard, the sides without spacers 6 are designed for contact with the spacers 6 of adjoining tiles 1.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section through several tiles 1, which were laid on a composition floor 8. The joints 9 between the tiles 1 have already been filled with jointing compound 10. The drawing shows that each spacer 6 extends to the spacer element 3 of an adjoining tile 1 and partially contacts the spacer element 3 of the adjoining tile 1 from behind to produce an interlocking system. Due to their pliable consistency, the spacer elements 3, which are situated between the rear side 11 of the tile 1 and the composition floor 8, simultaneously act as equalizing elements that equalize unevenness of the installation surface. The pliable consistency is defined by a ball compressive strength that allows penetration of random elevations of the foundation into the equalizing spacer element without the permissible surface pressure being exceeded.

The cross-sectional drawing in FIG. 4 once again shows a single tile according to FIG. 3 with adhesive elements 4.

The tiles 1 can be designed, for example, as wall tiles or floor tiles. Materials that can be used include stoneware, clayware, porcelain or natural stone. The spacer elements 3 can be made, for example, of plastic, for example, extruded polystyrene. Mineral materials can also be used, for example, foam glass. The use of natural products is also possible, for example, cork. A common characteristic of all of the materials cited above is their elasticity or deformability. This makes it possible to equalize unevenness of an installation surface, so that flat arrangement of the front sides 7 of the tiles 1 is ensured.

The adhesive elements 4 are typically designed as a water-resistant and frost-resistant adhesive film with a removable protective foil. When the protective foil is in place, the tiles 1 can be stacked in any desired way, and adhesive bonding is possible after the protective foil has been removed.

The spacer element 3 is typically fixed in place on the back 11 of the tile 1 with adhesive applied over a large area, in spots, or in strips. For example, a synthetic resin adhesive can be used for this purpose. A typical thickness of the spacer element 3 is three to eight millimeters. In addition to equalizing unevenness, the spacer element 3 serves to improve heat and sound insulation.

According to the embodiment in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the spacer element 3 is dimensioned somewhat smaller than the tile 1, so that a distance of about two millimeters separates the edge of the spacer element 3 and the edge 5 of the tile. The tongue-like spacers 6 project laterally beyond the edge 5 by about the predetermined joint separation plus two millimeters, so that after the tiles 1 are pushed together, a desired joint separation is realized. The supplementary elements 2 can be used with the square tiles illustrated here as well as with tiles 1 of any desired rectangular contour or other desired contour.

The tiles 1 of the invention can be used for indoor or outdoor walls and/or floors. Potential foundations for laying the tiles are cement and gypsum plaster facings, dry gypsum plasterboard, gypsum fiberboard, particle board, poured asphalt composition floor, cement floor, dry composition floor, various available ceramic coverings, rigid foam plates, and strong, load-bearing colored coatings. Especially simple tile installation is possible with smooth and closed-pore foundations. In the case of other foundations, especially strongly sanding foundations, the use of a commercial primer has been found to be advantageous.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the spacers 6 extend along only a portion of the associated edge 5. This results in spaces between the spacers 6, through which the jointing compound that is used can arrive in the area of the installation surface. This results in additional fixation of the tiles 1 in the area of the installation surface. Since, in addition, the spacer elements 3 between the spacers 6 have a greater separation relative to one another than the amount of the separation of the edges 5 of the tiles 1 relative to one another, a thickened joint is produced in the area of the foundation, which results in excellent joint support.

According to the embodiment in FIG. 5, the spacer element 3 is designed in such a way that all of the spacers 6 project beyond the edge 5 by a half joint width. In this connection, the spacers 6 are arranged in such a way that spacers 6 of adjoining tiles 1 always border each other. In the specific embodiment illustrated here, for this purpose, each of the spacers 6 is positioned in a corner region of the tiles 1.

FIG. 6 shows the tile 1 according to FIG. 3 with the spacers 6 in opposite corner regions. The same design is also illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows the installation of the tiles 1 according to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 in the area of an installation surface. The design is fundamentally similar to that of FIG. 3. However, it is seen that each spacer 6 projects laterally over the edge 5 of the tile 1 and abuts the spacer 6 of the adjoining tile 1.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of individual adhesive elements 4 is arranged on the back 11 of the tile. The illustrated embodiment has five essentially circular adhesive elements, four of which are positioned in a corner of the tile 1, while the fifth is positioned in the center.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment in which the spacer element 3 is a frame-like design. This results in the formation of a receiving space 12 on the back 11 of the tile 1. This receiving space 12 is intended for the installation of a tile 1 with standard tile mortar or tile adhesive. In this embodiment, factory-installed adhesive elements 4 are thus dispensed with and only the feature of predetermined spacing by the supplementary element 2 is utilized.

Basically, various embodiments of the invention can thus be realized. It is possible to realize the supplementary element 2 only as a spacer element 3 and to adhesively bond the tile 1 with materials used in the prior art. It is also possible to provide the tile 1 only with a supplementary element 2 that is realized as an adhesive element 4 and to realize the feature of predetermined spacing of the tiles 1 by conventional means. However, optimum practical advantage is achieved if the spacer element 3 is combined with an adhesive element 4, since this makes it possible to install the tiles 1 adhesively with predetermined spacing in a very small amount of time.

The frame-like design of the spacer element that is illustrated in FIG. 11 can also be combined with the use of adhesive elements 4. Likewise, it is possible to realize the spacer element 3 as a strip or as an element composed of individual segments.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the spacer element 3 is designed with greater thickness as an insulating element. This makes it possible to achieve a high degree of heat insulation and/or sound insulation. For example, the spacer element 3 can be dimensioned with a thickness of 20 mm and preferably consists of a foam glass with high compressive strength. In this type of embodiment, the spacer element 3 can have a stepped design in the edge region. As a result of this measure, it is not necessary for the jointing compound that is provided to extend all the way to the area of the installation surface, but rather a well-defined receiving space for the jointing compound is provided. Tiles according to the embodiment in FIG. 12 are suitable especially for use as floor tiles in buildings without a basement or for use as floor tiles in basement rooms. 

1. A tile for installation on a foundation, said tile having a front, a back, and an edge, wherein at least one supplementary element (2) is mounted on the back (11) of the tile.
 2. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the supplementary element (2) is designed as an adhesive element (4).
 3. A tile in accordance with claim 2, wherein the surface of the adhesive element (4) that faces away from the tile (1) is covered by a protective foil.
 4. A tile in accordance with claim 2, wherein the adhesive element (4) is designed as a two-sided adhesive tape.
 5. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the supplementary element (2) is designed as an equalizing layer.
 6. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the supplementary element (2) is designed as a spacer element (3) with at least one laterally projecting spacer (6).
 7. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein spacers (6) of adjoining tiles (1) are arranged with some displacement relative to each other.
 8. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one spacer element (3) of a tile (1) contacts an adjoining tile (1) from behind.
 9. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one adhesive element (4) is mounted in the area of a side of the spacer element (3) that faces away from the tile (1).
 10. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spacer element (3) is made of a deformable material.
 11. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spacer element (3) is made of an elastic material.
 12. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tile is realized as wall tile.
 13. A tile in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tile is realized as floor tile. 